GamePort to USB Adapter for analog and digital joysticks

In this video I would like to present a project, which I was working on and off for the last months. Do you still have your old Sidwinder 3D Pro or other joysticks and would like to use them? May be this is something for you.
Project on GitHub:
github.com/necroware/gameport...

[@TheOtherQuintin]

Can't believe nobody has said "Yes" to your question of setting up an online store. Please do, I would gladly buy from and support your channel that way. Opensource hardware and software always!

[@darkshi]

I also put myself in the adapter purchase queue. Rockfire's adapter is very limited for simple joysticks. I have a Genius Maxfire F31D and it has 10 buttons. And with the rockfire adapter I lose most of these buttons.

[@michalbernat6034]

Please make us buy this adapter, ia have Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro and i will love to use him again after more then 10 years

[@konstantintitov9922]

I would also buy. I think most of the subscribers who are enthusiastic about this type of hardware would love to have some kind of way to place direct preorder, maybe even via email, worst case why not use an eBay?

[@Larkas]

I'm seconding that! It's simple enough to build it by oneself, but as someone living in a country with famously complicated import laws, it would be simpler to just buy the adaptor already built, even if I had to source the Arduino myself!

[@timpeachey9394]

People need to stop selling stuff and trying to turn this shit into businesses. Just do your hobbies and help other people and stop trying to sell shit.

[@Vyp3Rau]

I have both the SideWinder 3D Pro and SideWinder Gamepad, so purchased a RockFire adaptor to use them not that long ago. But it is basically useless. So seeing you create an adaptor to make these great joysticks work again is fantastic! I will certainly be one of the first in line to purchase such a device when you make it available.

[@duncanjohnston4734]

Hey, I have a Microsoft Sidewinder FFB Wheel and was think of getting a Rockfire adapter. Does it work at all?

[@creopard]

So glad, I sent you the Sidewinder 3D Pro in the first place, as it seems to be the most sophisticated/complex gameport joystick of that era. It hopefully paved the way for more "easier" joysticks. Thank you so much for realising that adapter! Oh and sorry for all that additional workload! 😁 And +1 for realising that online shop!

[@DrHarryT]

I have old dirty one laying around too

[@vrjunkietube]

I will DEFINITELY purchase one of these from you!!!!!

[@AncapDude]

Awesome. I was searching for an old ISA double port card the last months and i remember they were easily available back in the times in each shopping center for 10 bucks. Now people sit on them like gold. Great job for this adapter and its software.

[@Grus0]

Awesome work, not just creating this but going above and beyond to ensure compatibility. Love the auto calibration, and seeing all the different joystick types being tested. Definitely set up a store!

[@foobar-9k]

Fantastic work, on both the video, and with the adapter! Greetings from Argentina!

[@luispupo3621]

Thanks for making the project super straightforward and easy to follow. I had a PC Commander Plus that finally has life again after a weekend of soldering my own adapter after following your plans.

[@ScottVieth]

So excited to see this come together, and would absolutely love to get a PCB should you ever release one in a store setup. I've got a ton of Sidewinder Game Pads that would love to get this treatment and so far, this appears to be the only real way to make it happen.

[@kdizzy07]

Amazing work! Thanks for sharing. I have the Rockfire adapter but was looking for a video that explains how the pins work on the Gameport work and this did the trick.

[@dustinhipskind7665]

I loved the depth of detail for this video! This seems like a great project.

[@alexviralata1356]

Very nice and in depth video! All the explanations made sense and it was easy to follow. And also thank you very for releasing this project as open source! Cheers!

[@linoxyard]

This project is amazing! It's also the only existing one that supports the propietary digital protocols of the more advanced joysticks, the other readily available ones are only for standard dos

[@necro_ware]

Exactly

[@princesspeach5308]

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’m ordering the parts to build a couple of these. Definitely earned a new subscriber. Thank you!!!

[@smcic]

I like the "more technical" videos you create! by the way, i have a sidewinder 3d pro that I bought new back in the day, and just recently set up a retro win95 pc to use it - but ithe sidewinder was dead.. I replaced the electrolytic capacitor inside and it now works. I tested the cap and it was leaking dc current.... thanks again for the videos you make, I'm enjoying watching them all!

[@shegleb]

thank you very much. Your video isn't long compared to the details and lots of explanations. I even want more. Great programming

[@johnniboy9616]

Erstens erstklassiges Video!!! Zweitens das ist genau so ein Adapter den ich schon lange suche und nun endlich gefunden habe. Zu guter letzt hätte ich noch zwei fragen: Hab mir jetzt alle einzelteile bis auf das PCB zugelegt und wollte fragen ob es irgentwie eine Verkabelungsanleitung gibt, damit man es einfach auf einem Breadboard zusammenstecken kann? Und zweite Frage: Ist das Sidewinder Precision Racing Wheel damit kompatibel? bin mir nicht sicher ob das nicht irgentwie das gleiche ist wie so ein Sidewinder FFB Wheel ist. Nochmals tolles Video und definitiv ein Abo wert

[@msthalamus2172]

I am so happy to see this! I have a 3D Pro that I would love to use on new games! I'll look at the site and try to figure out how to get the circuit board under the Arduino built. Thanks for doing this and for explaining how it works! (FWIW, the video wasn't too technical for me.)

[@user-ov2uz5ny5b]

i hope that you can provide us with an explanation of how can we built this project 🙏🙂

[@jedivader20]

This is so relevant to my interests! I've got a Sidewinder Precision Pro that I picked up in 1998, sometime over the last 23 years I've misplaced the bundled USB adapter!

[@necro_ware]

Presision Pro is directly USB capable. The adapter for that one is just a simple wire, so it's probably easier to make that one, than to use my adapter :) Furthermore, Presision Pro is not yet supported, but I got one sample yesterday and will try to add that joystick as well.

[@Stratotank3r]

Absolut unfassbar genial, was du für die Community entwirfst! Dazu sind deine Erklärungen gut verständlich. Allerdings war ich dieses Mal stellenweise überfordert. Aber man lernt immer dazu.

[@necro_ware]

Vielen Dank! Ja, das war meine Befürchtung, dass es zu detailliert sein könnte. Ich muss zugeben, dass es deswegen sehr schwer war dieses Video zu machen. Ich musste es mehrmals neu schneiden, weil es sonst entweder zu kompliziert oder zu lückenhaft war.

[@Stratotank3r]

@@necro_ware Alles gut. Das Ergebnis spricht für sich. Vorallem das Kalibrierungsprogramm hat mir gefallen und wie man die Centerstellung feststellt.

[@duguk]

Great video, thanks for so much useful information! I've had a force feedback Sidewinder steering wheel for years that I've meant to look at again. It always juddered when connected, and now makes perfect sense that they had used a digital protocol. I'm excited to have a look at it again and try and figure it out now!

[@maredknife5029]

I have that sidewinder wheel too. Also have the game port problem.

[@HeavyD6600]

I'm making this one, for sure. Thanks for the video!

[@jean-francoiscaron5706]

Very good. I appreciate the technical details and wouldn't mind even more. I haven't needed any of your devices so far, so I wouldn't need to buy them from an online store, but if there is something I need I would first want to try getting the PCB made & soldering myself. Make sure you charge enough money that it is worth your time making the pieces!

[@necro_ware]

I see, thank you for the feedback.

[@excessionary]

An online store would be great. Thank you for the video.👍

[@blackIce504]

More Technical the better, I really enjoyed this video, I often wondered how they overcome the gameport limits.

[@CrazyChiefXxX]

im soo happy to see old gaming joysticks and hardware is refusing to die, because it was such a great era of gaming that nobody nowadays knows about. i grew up towards the end of the era but my father kept alot of the games and i grew up on those games that defined who i am today (im 25 now)

[@TheValtss]

Technical depth is what I like!

[@tiberian7916]

Amazing video, will be a wonderful reference for trying to put my sidewinder force feedback joysticks back into service.

[@dustinhipskind7665]

I had a Microsoft Sidewinder gamepad, it always felt so great in the hand.

[@uraoshi]

severely underrated channel. every video is a gem.

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately YT has another opinion :)

[@lcollingwood5959]

Yes thank you. I just purchased one. Works great on my 3d pro on XP. Starting to play the old Janes combat sims.

[@T3hBeowulf]

I have several Sidewinder gamepads because they allowed you to daisy chain together and play with friends with one gameport. I also still have my Force Feedback Pro joystick and that was always my favorite stick. This project is fascinating on so many levels, Bravo! Maybe you can work with Serdaco to produce/sell them?

[@necro_ware]

This is a DIY project, which doesn't reach Serdaco's requirements. I'd have to toss the Arduino and design a more integrated, closed and more expensive solution. First of all this costs a lot of time and money for the prototyping, second I like the fact, that this is an open source DIY and everybody can easily build it. And also a fact, if I'd go the way, I'd produce this gadget and with the help if Serdaco would be able to bring it to the users, but it will not bring a cent of profit, but cost a lot of time, which I would miss for this channel and other projects....

[@JimLeonard]

Fantastic video, fantastic explanation, and fantastic project. I have over 50 joysticks and was going to make a video about how they're programmed, but thanks to you, I don't think I have to any more :-) As for worrying that the video was too technical, don't ever worry about that -- if people don't want the info, they can skip past it, and for technical people, we get the info we've been looking for. Your video was very watchable, entertaining, and informative. Please keep doing what you're doing. If you were located in the USA, I'd ship you my set of Thrustmaster devices, to add support for those too (stick, throttle, rudder pedals) as I have too many projects to do it myself at the moment. I haven't looked at them in detail yet to determine how they interact; the throttle device and rudder pedal device might simply connect to the thrustmaster joystick and override some of its inputs. An online shop would help people who aren't technical but just want to use their old hardware, but you need to think about how much your time is worth and should price the products accordingly.

[@necro_ware]

Hi Jim! Thank you very much. Sorry, that I scratched your plans to make an overview, but I think, you still should do it. There is so much more to say and I think many people would be interested to know more. Yeah, I'm in EU, so to send joysticks from USA would be a headache indeed. However, I also will not be able to implement the drivers for every joystick out there, that's why I hope for some input from other people. Thrustmaster F-16 with all the bells and whistles has additional keyboard loopback cable and some controls are going through that. The rest is daisy-chain'ed as far as I know, but I'm not quite sure, 'cause I never saw one of that in person. Currently this solution works only for pure gameport devices, but in the future it would be possible to add more stuff to support also crazy setups, like Thrustmaster F-16 or Gravis Phoenix. Glad you liked it and thank you for your feedback regarding the online shop.

[@ericvenneker]

@@necro_ware I own a gravis phoenix and I would love to have this adapter. I would also want to make a compatible driver for the gravis xterminator dual control. That one comes with a bundled gameport to USB dongle, but corrosion makes it pretty unusable.

[@yoshimitsu5537]

What an awesome project! I have a box of Sidewinder 3D Pro joysticks (some broken some working) that I still use to play Descent and Overload. I have a pair of Grendel's DIY breadboard adapters that I made following his instructions and they work very well. I'd love to buy yours though and compare. The auto-calibration feature looks really nice!

[@necro_ware]

Yes this adapter supports meanwhile more joysticks, than any other adapter out there. Not only multiple Sidewinder devices, but also almost all digital Logitech devices and some Gravis gamepads. Btw. for digital joysticks like Sidewinder you don't need auto calibration feature, it is for analogue joysticks only.

[@yoshimitsu5537]

Good to know. I suppose the calibration problem with the 3D Pro is more one of physical drift since it's not only digital, but optical. There used to be a great article on reconditioning the center point but I can't find it anymore. In any case your adapter would be well-received by people in the 6dof (Descent and Overload) community. There have been a number of people in the Overload Discord server recently who have wanted to use their old Sidewinders but haven't had the ability to build the DIY version that I have. Keep up the great work!

[@yosuhara]

Another show of your mad skills!

[@ted-b]

Fantastic work!

[@boostermcblast2197]

Very very useful information about all kind of Gameport Joysticks. Although I don't want to built this adapter.

[@FROGGS01]

Me as a programmer like the in depth content. Would even like to see more in detail videos.

[@heilong108]

I love this channel bro keep it up

[@raysmith5124]

go for it you make great stuff & im sure retro gamer youtubers like LGR etc might be interested in your projects too .. i use a saitek force feedback gameport steering wheel & peddles so i have to install an old sound card in every machine but cant use it on my new board as no pci slot ,,

[@gambinogambino768]

The auto calibration is what interests me the most. I ordered one to use on Steam Deck (which doesn’t have calibration for joysticks, leaving a large deadzone)

[@jonduke4472]

This thing looks great. I need to see if I can find my thrustmaster... I personally like the detail.

[@thisguy6559]

Nice. Could absolutely imagine playing DCS with my Sidewinder Precision pro 2. Shame I don't have it anymore. And it wasn't too technical at all. it was perfect.

[@nukejunkie2207]

Great video. Love the details.

[@brakogar]

Great video and excellent clever engineering. Regarding a store, you offer this adapter (in kit or assembled) and I will be buying.

[@salvatorecavallo337]

hello and congratulations for the great work done, I built one of this and works great , thank you.

[@necro_ware]

I explain in this video where to find the gerber files kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2WadZitfdyVqac

[@Sv5YpWTwd9otTA4So83f]

Interesting. I remember when I got a Precision Pro back in the day it came with a USB adapter, but it sounds like there were some pretty odd special protocols being used. Great work.

[@necro_ware]

Presision Pro works in two modes, USB and digital GamePort. The joystick detects on which kind of port it is hanging.

[@OpenGL4ever]

I have a Precision Pro too. Best and most reliable Joystick i ever had.

[@FOV-01]

Incredible, fantastic and wonderful work. If you ever consider the challenge of including the Gravis Xterminator Digital GamePad (not the revision they released with USB, but the original) I would buy a couple of adapters from you without hesitation. Thank you very much for your work. PS: Too bad that Kensington dismantled Gravis to dedicate the factories to making mice, remote controls and other minor tools!

[@svenafsvitjod1891]

Wow, so impressive! Simply excellent! I have a CH Flightstick Pro that hasn't been used since the 90s. Bought a cheap adapter that did'nt work, probably because of the unique hat switch encoding. Would love to use it playing Wing Commander Prophecy

[@OpenGL4ever]

Wing Commander Prophecy runs on Windows. For Windows you can just use a modern USB Joystick.

[@revelationnow]

This is a great insight into the gameport and retro PC joysticks in general. I'd always wondered what the difference was between CH and Thrustmaster joysticks. So glad I never bought a CH now knowing how it multiplexes the buttons. Its interesting how MS overlayed serial only the game port, I wonder how similar that negotiation string is to USB which came only a year or so later. All of the digital handshake stuff was very interesting. Keep it technical :) To me, PC analog joysticks always meant frustration because they would drift, or not calibrate right, or not detect This seems to solve that. However, they were some of the worst input devices ever created, in my experience.

[@erikmerchant567]

I think an online shop would be brilliant. I'm positive I'd be buying a fair number of your projects and think many others would as well. Great video!

[@necro_ware]

Thank you. It turned out, that in Germany it's nearly impossible to open such an online shop. The license costs are so high, that I would need to sell thousands of such devices just to get back that costs :(

[@erikmerchant567]

@@necro_ware Perhaps a purely Ebay shop? I know there are many out there who do that and have no official online store. TexElec comes to mind with his projects. The issue with Github projects is that 90% of the folks out there do not have the skills to assemble them. A shame.

[@necro_ware]

@@erikmerchant567 The shop is not a problem, I can setup it in 10 minutes. I run my own server with everything, what I'd need for that. The problems are German laws and immense license costs. If I just start to sell the adapters, doesn't matter on which platform, I instantly risk 150k€ lawsuit. I have to register a company, pay chamber of commerce, register a very expensive utilization and delivery licenses (for every one product!). Provide checked list of ROHS parts, which I'm only allowed to use later. And I have to fulfill EU warranty. That all would mean, that I need to sell a huge amount of such adapters for a lot of money just to get my money back....

[@erikmerchant567]

@@necro_ware I had no idea even using Ebay was such a hassle for Germans. You have my sympathy.

[@necro_ware]

@@erikmerchant567 If you want to sell your self made electronics, yes, it is a huge effort.

[@kmkeele]

I love the idea of your projects in an online shop. also you could sell through adafruit.

[@RamjetX]

Hey. As someone who has done a lot of reverse engineering on retro devices and hardware. Regarding your calibration routine. Don't forget you have an eeprom on that 32u4. I do a calibration on my devices and save the calibration data as a 16bit word to the eeprom. On the start up of the Arduino. Check your dip switch setting and recall the calibration settings from eeprom on boot. Boom, calibrate once and game on brother. Enjoyed your video. Appreciate your work buddy. RamjetX

[@necro_ware]

I know, but saving the axes adjustment data is not helpful in this case, because every analog joystick has it's own calibration controls in different positions. If you save the calibration settings for one joystick, you'd completely mess up the settings for another one. Furthermore the calibration happens on the fly and is already completely transparent for the user.

[@TheCarlosMendonca]

Would love to purchase one too if you ever make them available. Beautiful project, thanks for sharing.

[@necro_ware]

Thank you, I still didn't manage to organize an online shop. In Germany you have to make a lot of paperwork to make it possible, but there were some requests already, so I just have to do it :)

[@marcrouillard881]

Maybe late on this, but I had 10 PCBs made, an only have the need for two. So if you are ok with doing the soldering, I am ready to provide kits at cost price (i.e. PCB + DIP-4 switch + DIP24 socket + 4x100k resistors + DB15 female connector) + your choice of shipping. I don't provide the arduino pro micro (this way you choose your own flavour).

[@Generic42]

@@marcrouillard881 do you still have this? I’m interested, can’t find anywhere else to get this PCB!

[@marcrouillard881]

​ @PhantasmalFantastic yes I still have 8 PCBs + Dip4 switch + DIP24 spcket + DB15 connector. Actually the only parts I am short of are the 100kresistors, but that's easy enough to find ;) Please provide an email, and I'll send you the details of the price calculation so we can agree (also to calculate shipping to the best for you depending on your location). But already I can say it is around 3€ or $3.22 per kit (at the time of buying)

[@edwindevaan]

@@marcrouillard881 do you still have some kits?

[@andreewert6576]

That auto-calibration feature could have saved humanity in the 90s several thousand years of swearing, collectively speaking.

[@ctiborkoza8944]

Wow tolle Sache für alte Joysticks

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

Great video and work. I hope you can sell them in the future, I would like one. Old joysticks were more comfy to use.

[@seanrubensteinward4900]

This is an incredible project and it is clear you have put a good deal of thought into it. I am curious if it would be possible to get one of the pcbs and if not to get a schematic so I could build one myself. Thank you for all the great work and for sharing it with us. I currently have many old school joysticks and gamepads. One I have been unsuccessfully trying to get to work is my Logitech Wingman Extreme 3D and it appears you have solved it without having to alter the joystick itself. Wunderbar! Super! Prima! Danke!!!

[@necro_ware]

Link to the project is in the description.

[@seanrubensteinward4900]

@@necro_ware yeah I went there and saw the software and the readme but no schematic of the pcb. Maybe I was struck blind?

[@seanrubensteinward4900]

Ach! I was struck blind. I found it. Thank you

[@xPLAYnOfficial]

Mini USB gets a bad rap. As a power user that has used a multitude of mini and micro USB devices, I have had very few failures with Mini USB, but Micro USB notoriously broke on a lot of my devices.

[@lanz1987]

Nice Work!

[@BlackGymkhana]

That's awesome...

[@tj71520]

Amazing project. I have a huge collection of old gameport joysticks (153) and some of them are not compatible with the 10 rockfire gameport adaptors that I have

[@necro_ware]

Yes, this is exactly, where my adapter comes into play. It can everything, what the rockfire can, plus a lot more and it is open source and prepared for even more joysticks support.

[@thumbwarriordx]

After tearing the USB port off two Pro Micros I only use them with pigtails to a full size USB A or B connector. But that's really only helpful in a 3D printed enclosure that can take the strain and I dunno how big of a box you'd want to put around that little dongle.

[@adamcharlton6056]

I would buy one - have a FFB Sidewinder Pro I would love to use again

[@ltsiver]

Man, I'd love to play WCIV with my old Logitech wingman.

[@billjanz3066]

I to have a Microsoft sidewinder force feedback joystick which until a month ago I was able to use with my old Dell computer that contained a game port. I would definitely purchase one of your USB adaptors that would retain the usability of the sidewinder software.

[@ColdSphinX]

I'd buy from your shop and if you can't produce enough, I'd be happy to just buy kits and solder them myself!

[@wastelandwanderer3883]

Seems I had been waiting for this forever! Now I need to put my trusty Thrustmaster I wanted to put an Arduino in back together! 😿

[@lordterra1377]

I would buy multiplies of these if they were available for sale. I've contacted people about making custom hardware like this and no one wants to do it. They just tell me to get a Rockfire adapter, but that shows how little they know. It does work with all joysticks. Please take my money! I have all of the joysticks in this video and would love to have this adapter!

[@wfp9378]

YES. I have an old CH Flightstick and Pedals. Sign me up

[@wittonleung8732]

Yes! Can‘t wait to buy all your great retro addon products. And how about MS Force Feedback 3D Pro joystick ?

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately, none of the MS FFB joysticks are supported yet. I still hope, that s.o., who has one of that devices will contribute the code. You can find the list of supported joysticks on the project site.

[@CheshireNoir]

Technical level was good.

[@CheshireNoir]

Haha! I found a Sidewinder 3D Pro over the weekend. Now I'll definitely need to build one of these.

[@enilenis]

I have a good collection of old joysticks. Nearly all of the Microsoft ones that came out in the 90's, some Gravis, Logitech. Bought a few USB to Gameport adapters, and they have presets, but most of the time, it's impossible to find the exact setting that utilizes all of the inputs. Logitech is easy. They used to bundle yellow gameport to USB converters, and they generally work with all Logitech peripherals from the same era. Only time I used a microcontroller to make my own adapters was when I was working with Wii controllers. Nunchucks are analog, and can be wired into something like Arduino straight, with no additional components. Just code.

[@necro_ware]

Those adapters can only handle analog signals, which f.e. Logitech joysticks can emulate, but with reduced functionality only. That's why you couldn't get it working completely and that's why I started this project, it can not only understand analog joysticks, but also digital, like Wingman Extreme or Sidewinder 3D

[@tmilker]

@Necroware Got this up and running. Works great! I couldn't get the DIP switches to work, it always went to 2 button mode. I just changed the code to always go to Sidewinder mode though. Doesn't look like you use Twitter much but I tweeted a few times at you. :) Thanks!

[@tmilker]

To help avoid ripping out the Micro USB connector, I used a Sparkfun Pro Micro since it has the proper USB posts soldered to the bottom of the board instead of just the top grounds like all the cheap ones. Also just going to leave the the pigtail plugged in and might 3D print a small case that supports the USB cable jacket to add some strain relief.

[@necro_ware]

Hi Ted! Glad you made it :) Nice to know, that my work is running somewhere and makes somebody happy. Strange, that the DIP switches didn't work. I just built another 5 pieces and they were all working properly.... May be the Pro Micro you used have no proper pull-ups? The DIP switches just put the pins on ground when on and pull up happens in the pro micro if the a switch is off. And yeah, I don't like Twitter. Looks like a waste hole for me. You never can find anything... I posted a Tweet on it, but if you google for it you will not find anything. Also I couldn't find any of your Tweets..... thank you though ;) The channel currently lost over 90% of viewers, I have no clue why, but any help is appreciated....

[@tmilker]

@@necro_ware I'll do some more testing on the switches and let you know through an issue on the github if I find anything with a compatibility issue. I need to buzz out the connections with my multimeter, maybe I've got a bad solder joint. Is there anywhere you hang out where we can interact live? A Discord, IRC channel, etc?

[@tmilker]

Saw your tweet and replied with the picture of mine. Also, I know Twitter is a bad site but if you do want to try to interact with it, try the Tweetdeck site. Its not nearly as horrible as the main site, shows stuff in proper chronological order and you can set up a column of your mentions so its easy to find people who tweet at you.

[@necro_ware]

@@tmilker Ok, I'm also curious, what's going on. I'm currently only active on one German forum and just a little bit on vogons as well. I didn't make any discord channel so far.... may be in the future....

[@niboroku]

Please do it, we need it. I still have 2 sidewinders. Its magic!!!

[@billbones8007]

Nice!!! Please start a shop!!!!

[@dablais99]

Yes! To your online store! I’m buying! Just curious, any idea if the old Gravis Grip Multiport could work?

[@evanallen5377]

There are usbC pro micros, just use one of those. Also, when you find the axis extremes dynamically, does it make sense to assume the zero point is the center of the 2 extremes rather than a fixed voltage on boot and then the extremes are dynamically set as you go further and further.

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately the middle is often not in the middle between of the two extremes. That's why I had to remember the initial state as the middle. You can adjust many analogue joysticks with an additional wheel for every axis to be really in the middle, but usually that doesn't work reliably and with an automatic adjustment you don't need to do that. EDIT: Oh, almost forgot it, the USB-C would be a great option, but that variants of the Pro Micro cost 2-3 times more :(

[@cocusar]

Pretty good! I ended up tearing apart a cheap PS3-like joystick and hacking its pcb inside an old joystick (I couldn't map all the pins to the scheme the PS3-like joystick used)

[@DavoShed]

I think it’s a great video. I think people will skip the really technical stuff if they want. But great for people who like that stuff. How did you go with your online shop idea? I think you could make a kit with all the components for customers to assemble. I don’t need a joystick converter but I find lots of your projects very interesting. If making the kits is two time consuming for you perhaps you could find some interested assistants :) If not perhaps you should make a video on how people can get the pieces themselves and make one.

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately it turned out, that in Germany it is very hard and expensive to open such an online shop. I'd need to sell the parts very expensive and a lot of them just to get back to a financial 0.

[@DavoShed]

Necroware I thought that might be the case. I haven’t looked into it for years but I remember there is a way to specify a circuit board in a file then send it off to get produced. I expect you are doing something like that. When I looked you had to order ridiculous quantity or it was very expensive. If you have already done a video on how you do this process please point me at it. Unfortunately my electronics skills are not very good but I like to learn new stuff. :)

[@jonlangfitt]

a small plastic project box with a panel mount usb could work. make a small short run of micro usb cable soldered to usb-b through hole port, or other fixed usb passthrough or fixed usb port. this would hold your gameport, arduino board and everything within leaving clean sturdy external connections with minimal flex.

[@YarisTex]

I would actually love something the other way round. Be able to use a modern reliable joystick with my DOS computers.

[@necro_ware]

There are already some efforts happening in that direction as well.

[@Lachlant1984]

Having on online shop to sell these joystick adaptors and anything else you make would be really awesome.

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately, it is too complicated and expensive to make such an online shop in Germany. So, this probably will not happen.

[@genki5311]

muy interesante el contenido

[@aldih77]

I'd love to buy it online :)

[@davidcauley9400]

Hi, I just got a Quickshot 2 Turbo joystick I used to use on my Amiga 500 as a kid. I would LOVE to be able to buy an adapter that would allow me to use it on PC!

[@thedungeondelver]

I bought one of those RockFire joystick adapters for my Suncom Talon + SFS but it drifts so bad, when the stick doesn't on an analog only connector, so this might be exactly what I need.

[@morofry]

I hope soon you can find an arduino you need but comes with a USB-C port. This would be an excellent application for USB-C as the connector was specifically designed for this application. I'm not talking about USB 3 support as that is unnecessary, but having a USB-C port would make sourcing cables easy.

[@necro_ware]

Sooner than you think ;)

[@davidratliff9995]

@ necroware. Amazing project - fantastic, professional video. I am a US expat in Germany and have been looking for an adapter like this for years to use with my Sidewinder 3D Pro. I looked t your Git repository for the adapter, but didn't see where to get a PCB made. Could you please provide a recommendation to get a few PCBs produced here in Germany? My plan is to use a completed adapter with a PCI bracket and mount in a PCI slot on my gaming PC with USB micro to motherboard usb header cable. Thanks again for the very impressive work.

[@necro_ware]

Hi David, glad you liked the project. I am not sponsored by any PCB manufacturer, that's why I didn't provide any information, where to make it. There are plenty of options however. I order my PCBs by jlcpcb or pcbway. In Germany it's too expensive, and it sounds strange, but the quality is often worse and it takes forever. Just grab the zipped gerber file from the latest release and go to one of the said manufacturers website. There you can directly upload the zip file as is and make your order.

[@necro_ware]

And almost forgot it, if you put the adapter inside of your case, you will not be able to switch the settings. So you will be bound to one type of joysticks, you set on the dip switches.

[@davidratliff9995]

@@necro_ware Great advice, thanks again for all of your efforts. To me there is only one old school joystick that matters: Sidewinder 3D Pro. However, I'm always on the lookout for older peripherals and your adapter would allow for testing and tinkering with different joysticks. Not an issue at all to pop off the side panel of my case, disconnect the usb, and flip a dip switch to test a different stick. So excited to get started. Thanks again!

[@necro_ware]

@@davidratliff9995 You are welcome.

[@matthewday7565]

Reminds me, must find a download manual for the Rockfire I got from a charity shop (attached to an original 3 axis 2 button Sidewinder) - I seem to recall it has 4 settings

[@necro_ware]

Yes, it has the same first settings as my adapter for generic analog sticks, Flightstick CH and Thrustmaster. In addition to that my adapter can handle multiple digital joysticks with a simple way to add a lot more. So, basically spoken, my adapter is an extended open source version of Rockfire adapter.

[@macblasterbr]

Hello necroware, i looking foward for your future store :D. Meanwhile, can you share the esquematics for the db15 adapter? Im not versed in eletronics, but i can at least TRY make this. i already found a place to buy this arduino here in my country, but i dont know how make de adapter itself (neither found on your github, if are there already, im sorry). Thanks a lot.

[@villesyrjala3354]

Maybe a dedicated center calibration button + save the information somewhere? Would avoid the need to center the throttles and whatnot every time you plug the thing in, assuming you always use the same joystick(s). Also I would imagine you can force the USB side to disconnect when the dip switches are changed?

[@necro_ware]

Yes, theoretically, I can reset the adapter as soon, as the dip switches get changed. I just didn't make anything in that direction yet, because it is very uncommon use case. In regards of saving information, may be, but this idea is kind of vague, so far. I will have to think about that. I'm currently more concentrated on adding more supported joysticks.

[@dtbjason]

I learned so much but what brought me here was my love of the old sidewinder pro force feedback. How did a force-feedback gameport stick work? I lost mine in a fire and the later usb version feedback feels completely different (less varied feedback and overall bad) i miss the old one and have no idea how a converter would work with that old technology. Great video!

[@necro_ware]

Unfortunately I have no FFB joystick, but aa far as I know, it uses MIDI pins for FFB communication. That's why I wired that pins on the adapter as well and in case someone has FFB device, only the software needs to be extended.

[@dtbjason]

@@necro_ware When you explained the digital joystick concept I had a feeling the midi could do that. Open source project! Been very curious for many years but really had no idea where to start - Thank You!

[@angieandretti]

I really wish someone would invent the exact opposite of this! I'd really like to use a modern USB dual-thumb joystick such as Xbox 360 controller with DOS games on retro PC's. Ideally the adapter should allow for custom mapping, for example mapping left analog stick X axis to joystick-X but the controller's triggers to joystick-Y axis. That would be perfect for driving games.

[@necro_ware]

Is in the works

[@lzortin593]

Hi there Necroware! Great job my friend. Congreats by your skills and expertize over! My Joystick, is a rare almost brand new Microsoft Side Winder Force Feedback Pro. Your adapter to USB allow the features of Force feedback on this Joystick? To work in laptops games windows 10 Pro 64 bits? Thanks in advance by the attention and reply. Cheers, Luiz from Sao Paulo Brazil

[@necro_ware]

Hello Luiz. Unfortunately FFB feature is not yet implemented. I was equipped with a FFB Pro by a friend already, but so far didn't have time to dive deeper into this topic.

[@lzortin593]

​@@necro_wareHello Necroware! Thank you for your attention and reply. Ahm, I understand, as you said, it will take some digging to make the FFB work technically feasible using your USB adapter device. But, when and if you finish it, I want to be notified, as since now I've been interested in futurelly buying one. Cheers, Luiz - São Paulo - Brazil

[@elbdampfer]

Das Projekt ist einfach großartig, ich selbst habe noch einige CH Joysticks aus meiner Jugend. Wenn es ein gerber file für die Grundplatine gibt, würde ich den Adapter gern nachbauen. Ein Online shop fände ich schon super. Die Frage ist nur, wieviele Verrückte ausser mir würden ihn angemessen nutzen.

[@necro_ware]

Ja, das ist eine gute Frage. Wahrscheinlich nicht viele, daher bin ich mir nicht sicher, ob es eine gute Idee ist. Mit so einem Shop sind ja auch Verpflichtungen verbunden.... na ja, ich werde sehen, was die Leute so sagen. Was die Gerber Files angeht, klar, ich teste gerade noch zwei Joysticks und werde dann einen Release machen, wo man Gerber Files direkt herunterladen kann. Schaue einfach gelegentlich die Tage auf der Projektseite im Bereich Releases vorbei.

[@-TK-421]

Great video. I am wanting to make a old Game port flight yoke and rudder peddles work with USB and you just explained exactly how to do it. Thank you so much. BUT I need that adapter. PLEASE tell me how I can buy one.

[@necro_ware]

Hi thank you very much, glad I could help. I'm in Germany and you have to register a company and pay taxes here before you can sell it. You also have to provide guaranty and make a lot of organizational stuff if you produce something yourself. I didn't get managed to make all this. Furthermore, the interest was unfortunately so low, that currently it would cost me a lot more, than what I would be able to return from selling it. So in short, it is currently impossible to buy this adapter. But everything is open source, so just feel free to order the PCBs and make one yourself.

[@ctiborkoza8944]

Ich denke, dein Eshop wird eine tolle Sache für Leute sein, die technisch nicht so gut sind wie du

[@msthalamus2172]

I admit I'm quite rusty at C++, but I did work professionally with it in the late 90s. Looking through your code listings in the video, it looked like your code was all implemented in header files? I'm curious about this. Thanks!

[@necro_ware]

It has multiple reasons. But the main one is performance. Since this is a simple project, there is no need to split it into separate compilation units. The linker will optimize a lot better, if everything is included in one file. This way it can better decide, what can be inlined. Second, I'm using a lot of templates and they can only be implemented in headers. Btw, I'm using C++14, compared to C++98 from the end of 90's it's a different language today :)

[@msthalamus2172]

@@necro_ware Thanks! I'd forgotten about the restriction on templates entirely! Yeah, I know it's a whole different language now (and I was actually using *pre* C++98). It's actually a bit intimidating to think of picking it back up again now given that I can't even be sure anymore what "it" is. :)

[@heitorhertz5083]

i will try it in a genius flight2000 controller